As a Media Studies major at the University of Southern Maine, I was encouraged to find an internship program. My background is sort of all over the place; I was the administrative assistant at the Muscular Dystrophy Association for three years, I worked in a record store for six, waited tables and worked in coffee shops. Now I've been writing freelance writing and I have a part-time job in Public Relations. My career path and therefore my internship goals were still relatively unclear. After a few failed attempts at scouring listings, interviews and rejection, my internship advisor asked me point blank where I wanted to intern. It was something I'd never considered, yet something that seemed so obviously, and a question pertinent to those beginning a real job search. A short while later, I stumbled upon the Maine Association of Non Profits (oddly, our offices are in the same building.) I selected a few organizations from of the directory and contacted them. "Do you have an internship program, and if not would you be interested in starting one?" Kimberly Allen, executive director, wrote back right away and I started a few weeks later. It's been a great fit. Between my previous work-study job at the Internships and Career Placement Office at USM and as a person who will be re-entering the workforce after graduation, I have a pretty clear understanding of why what we do is so important. Especially our economic situation, the job market is tough and it's easy to get discouraged if you don't know what you're doing. We hope to provide women the confidence and the skills to achieve their career goals.
I'll also confess, second-hand clothes and fashion have always been a hobby of mine. After my first day of sorting the massive amounts of donations we get here if I was sick of clothes yet. I smiled and declared defiantly: Never!
No comments:
Post a Comment